A First for Aircraft Noise Management

In another Vancouver Airport Authority “first,” YVR will soon be home to Canada’s first aircraft engine-testing facility, designed to reduce noise in the community.

The Ground Run-up Enclosure, or GRE, will be a three-walled, open-roofed enclosure designed to reduce noise from engine run-ups that are conducted as part of regular aircraft maintenance work.

The enclosure and adjoining apron will be constructed with noise-absorbing materials and more than 3,800 cubic metres of concrete, and will be roughly the size of the CFL football field and as a tall as a five-storey building. Airlines operating propeller aircraft such as the Dash 8, Beech 1900, Saab 340, Otter and Metroliner out of YVR’s South Terminal will be the primary users of the enclosure. The GRE will be used primarily at night, from approximately 10 PM to 6 AM, when the majority of engine run-up related noise complaints are received.

The GRE’s benefits are not limited to noise reduction. Because of its strategic location on the airport’s South side, aircraft no longer have to taxi to designated engine run-up areas, saving time and fuel. During winter de-icing operations, the GRE will also provide an area for glycol recovery and containment.

Just one aspect of our Noise Management Program, the GRE will help us manage aircraft noise, while balancing the community’s desire for safe, convenient 24-hour air travel with urban living. For more information on this program, please visit the Noise Management section of our website.

YVR’s GRE will be one of the largest construction projects undertaken on the airport’s South side in recent years. Construction is expected to begin this month, with a target completion date of December 2011.

Once complete, our GRE will join only handful of similar facilities at North American airports, including New York’s Albany International Airport and Portland International Airport in Oregon.

Keep an eye on future editions of Air Mail for updates on this project. And in the meantime, watch an animated rendering of the GRE.